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NrrEn STATES PATENT Fries.

DAVID H. TIOHENOR, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

WELL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 234,214, dated November 9, 1880.

Application filed August 3, 1880. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, DAVID H. TIGHENOR, of the city of Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Wells, of which the following is a description.

My invention relates to an improvement in reservoir-wells and it consists in an improved mode of and apparatus for obtaining a large water-supply without the labor and expense of boring Artesian wells.

My method consists, essentially, in constructing the well of large bore and excavating a chamber of still larger area at the bottom of the bore, to tap a great number of veins in which the water may be found.

My constructive and operative appliances consist, first, in suspending a metallic well curb or casing from a platform at the top or sustaining it upon pillars in the chamber at the bottom; second, in sustaining the platform or its frame by piles inserted in the ground about the well before the bore is dug; and, third, in operating a sand-pump in connection with the suction or supply pump of the well, to prevent the subterranean cavity from obstruction or filling.

My method of constructing and operating the well is especially applicable to alluvial strata in the vicinity of large streams where a great volume of water would filter into the well; but the same may be applied to any location where the water is found in the superficial strata.

In the drawings annexed, Figure 1 represents a central vertical section of the well-bore. Fig. 2 is a plan of the entire structure, as seen from the surface of the ground, the cover E being removed to show the interior of the easing or curb A; and Fig. 3 is a vertical section of one of the curb-joints, showing the opening 0 for the admission of the suction-pipe H Fig. 4, the pillars under curb.

A is the well-curb. consisting of cylindrical iron sections flanged at each end internally at a, and united together by bolts I), inserted through the flanges.

B is the subterranean chamber O, the piles to support the weight of the curb A and platform D, which consists of timbers framed together to embrace the top of the curb A, the

latter being provided with a flange, c, at the top to rest upon the frame. The frame may extend as far as is necessary away from the curb, to transmit the weight of the latter to the piles without crowding the piles too closely together, as they would have to support a weight of fifteen tons with a curb six feet in diameter and one hundred feet deep.

E is a cover laid over the top of the curb. F is the suction-pipe of a sand-pump, shown arranged upon the cover E to operate with the water-suction pipe H after the well is completed.

The mode of constructing the well is as follows: The piles G, if needed, are driven in their required positions, and a hole dug of the diameter and depth of one section of the casing A. The latter I make preferably of cast-iron, and free from projections upon the outside, so that when placed in the hole thus prepared it will sink downward as fast as the bore is excavated beneath its lower edge. I then remove the various strata by suitable means, and attach successive sections of the casing to the top of the one first inserted, placing Portland cement between the internal flanges, a, as shown atp in Fig.1. Shouldaquicksand be reached the easing will sink rapidly through it, and the sand is removed from its interior by the use of a centrifugal sand-pump operating in the usual way. I continue the excavation until I have penetrated a clay or hard stratum, so as to secure as little of the surface-water in the well as possible, and when I have reached a suitable stratum for a subterranean chamber, I attach a section of the casing A, which is provided with an external flange, c, and arrange the frame D to suspend the casing upon the piles. S is the surface-soil, and the piles are shown projecting somewhat above its surface to keep the frame D from affecting the earth about the top of the well. I then apply powerful pumps and keep the bore of the well drained, while the chamber B is excavated to as large an area as possible beneath the well. The size of this chamber necessarily depends upon the character of the stratum but I secure a supply of water of any desired volume by usinga drainin g-pump, while excavating the chamber, of the same capacity as the pump to be fed from the finished well, and continuing the excavation until driven out by the water. The well being then finished, I apply a suction-pipe, H, connected with asuitable pump, and where the water is intended for the use of a city I con struct a number of such wells at a proper distauce apart, and connect them by a main pipe to a Cornish engine or other powerful pump. Should the chamber at the bottom be liable to filling up by silt or sand I provide a sandpump, G, upon the top of the well, or suitably located, and connect it with a pipe, F, extending to the bottom of the excavation or chamber, and am thus able at intervals to withdraw such substances while the well is in operation, and without disturbing the watersupply. Should the excavation at the bottom occur in rocky strata. the casing A could be properly supported without any attachments at the top. In such case I provide pillars I, as shown in Fig. 4, which are inserted between the lower end of the casim. and the bottom of the chamber B, thus ott'erin no obstruction to the flow of the water from the chamber into the casing A. While excavatingsuch a chamher the casing would be suspended from temporary supports at the top, and after the pillars 1 were inserted the weight would rest entirely upon them.

By the construction I have described the penetration of the surface-water to the wellis practically prevented, as the casing is readily made tight at the various joints, and the finer particles in the upper strata of s il penetrated by the bore will effectually puddle the outside of the casing and prevent the penetration of such water to the chamber B.

Should it be desired to introduce the suction-pipe H into the well below the surface of the ground, as shown in Fig. 1, the aperture may be made circular and the pipe bolted to the exterior and interior, with water tight joints; or the pipe may be introduced through an opening, as at 0 in Fig. 3, and cemented masonry fitted around it to exclude the surface-water.

I therefore claim as my invention as follows:

1. The combination of the internally'cased well A with the chamber B, and with the pipe H, for drawing off the water-supply, substantially as herein set forth.

2. The combination of the internally-cased well A with the chamber B, and with the pump G and clearing-pipe F, for clearing the chamber, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereto set my hand this 31st day of July, A. D. 1880.

DAVID H. TICHENOR.

Attest:

Tnos. S. CRANE, H. THEBERATH.

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